Film blog + Oscars 2009 | The Guardianhttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog+oscars2009
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Is it too late to reinstate this deleted scene in Slumdog Millionaire?http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/jun/03/danny-boyle-oscars
This scene didn't make it into Danny Boyle's Oscar winner, but it is actually rather good. The campaign to have it included in Slumdog Millionaire: The Director's Cut begins here<p> Ah, the curious case of Slumdog Millionaire. If – as was at one stage intended – Danny Boyle's rags-to-riches fairytale had gone straight to DVD, this deleted scene would already be old news, an inconsequential extra on a forgotten little movie. Instead, the film went on to win eight Oscars, earn upwards of $300m (&pound;181m) and be anointed as a classic of world cinema; arguably the first truly globalised blockbuster.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/jun/03/danny-boyle-oscars">Continue reading...</a>Slumdog MillionaireDanny BoyleOscarsFilmCultureOscars 2009Oscars 2010Wed, 03 Jun 2009 10:56:07 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/jun/03/danny-boyle-oscarsPRDev Patel in a deleted scene from Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire. Photograph: PR Photograph: PRXan Brooks2009-06-03T10:56:07ZUK box office: Oscar bounce returns Slumdog to the top spothttp://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/mar/03/box-office-oscar-bounce-slumdog
Danny Boyle's film set to enter top five hits of last 12 months, while Clive Owen's banking thriller The International fails to set tills ringing<p>Call it an Oscar bounce. Having scooped eight golden statuettes at the Academy Awards a week ago, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/126911/slumdog-millionaire">Slumdog Millionaire</a> returned to the top of the box-office chart in its eighth week of release. Shrugging off challenges from several high-profile new releases, a big expansion for <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/127947/gran-torino">Gran Torino</a>, and previous top titles <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/127368/bolt">Bolt</a> and <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/127832/confessions-of-a-shopaholic">Confessions of a Shopaholic</a>, Danny Boyle's crowd-pleaser took &pound;1.68m for a total to date of &pound;25.87m. The weekend's takings were 7% up on the previous frame, and only 8% less than Slumdog's debut weekend back in early January.<br /> <br />Slumdog Millionaire is now the sixth biggest hit of the past 12 months, having overtaken both <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/124988/hancock">Hancock</a> and <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/125194/wall-e">WALL-E</a> over the last seven days. It will soon pass <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/124001/sex-and-the-city">Sex and the City</a> (&pound;26.43m) to enter the year's top five, but will fail to match the &pound;40m-plus hauls achieved by 2008's top blockbuster biggies: <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/125168">Mamma Mia!</a>, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/122628/quantum-of-solace">Quantum of Solace</a>, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/122806/dark-knight">The Dark Knight</a> and <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/124168/indiana-jones-and-the-kingdom-of-the-crystal-skull">Indiana Jones and the Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull</a>. Still, for a low-budget, star-free drama that is partly in a foreign language, it's a remarkable achievement.<br /> <br />Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino, expanding from 62 to 388 cinemas, leaped up to second place, with takings of &pound;1.35m – just ahead of highest new entrant <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/128196/unborn">The Unborn</a>. Shrugging off mostly negative reviews (13% &quot;fresh&quot; at Rotten Tomatoes), David S Goyer's teen-appealing horror flick grossed &pound;1.3m, just behind the debut of the recent <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/128099/my-bloody-valentine-3-d">My Bloody Valentine</a>, which benefited from a strong showing in 3D venues. The Unborn did not profit from an existing brand or – typical for the genre – much in the way of star names, unless you count <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/127062/twilight">Twilight</a> baddie Cam Gigandet or a miscast Gary Oldman as an exorcist rabbi academic.<br /> <br />Second highest new entry was Tom Tykwer's <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/128194/international">The International</a>, starring Clive Owen as an Interpol agent closing in on a villainous European bank. With three-star reviews across the board and no specific target audience in its sights, The International evidently lacked strong, urgent, first-choice appeal, picking up a so-so &pound;760,000 from 379 venues. Comparable Clive Owen vehicles are Alfonso Cuaron's dystopian thriller <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/114077/children-of-men">Children of Men</a> (&pound;1.28m) and Spike Lee's bank-heist picture <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/111321/inside-man">Inside Man</a> (&pound;1.81m). However, The International's result is ahead of ultra-violent Owen actioner <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/119572/shoot-em-up">Shoot 'Em Up</a>, which debuted in 2007 to &pound;375,000.<br /> <br />So far in 2009, the robust market for chick flicks has made significant hits of <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/127955/bride-wars">Bride Wars</a>, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/126196/he-s-just-not-that-into-you">He's Just Not That Into You</a> and Confessions of a Shopaholic, which all opened in the &pound;1.7m–&pound;1.9m range, not counting any preview takings. But the limp debut of <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/128195/new-in-town">New in Town</a> (&pound;439,000 from 302 screens for 10th place in the chart) suggests that saturation point has now been reached. Alternatively, audiences merely found the film's proposition – slick executive Renee Zellweger warming to blue-collar hunk Harry Connick Jr in wintry Minnesota – highly resistible. The result is a worry for Zellweger, who has struggled in romcoms outside the lucrative <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/88087/bridget-jones-s-diary">Bridget Jones</a> franchise: the screwball-inflected <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/123654/leatherheads">Leatherheads</a> and <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/96976/down-with-love">Down With Love</a> also opened weakly with &pound;475,000 and &pound;599,000 respectively.<br /> <br />Buoyed by mostly ecstatic reviews and a Cannes Palme d'Or win, Lauren Cantet's <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/128192/class">The Class</a> began with a highly encouraging &pound;138,000 from 36 sites. This is bigger than the last French breakout hit <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/124741/i-ve-loved-you-so-long">I've Loved You So Long</a>, that debuted with &pound;117,000 from 29 screens on its way to a total of &pound;1.2m. It's also bigger than the openings of 2008's <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/125351/man-on-wire">Man On Wire</a>, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/119519/priceless">Priceless</a> and <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/122766/diving-bell-and-the-butterfly">The Diving Bell and the Butterfly</a>. In fact, it's the best opening of any French-language film since <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/117310/tell-no-one">Tell No One</a> and <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/117957/la-vie-en-rose">La Vie En Rose</a> from summer 2007, unless you count animation <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/118580/persepolis">Persepolis</a>, which was released in mostly dubbed English-language prints. <br /> <br />The Class was not selected for investment from the UK Film Council's P&amp;A Fund, which helps distributors break out specialist releases to wider audiences. The fund did, however, allocate &pound;120,000 to assist in the marketing of <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/126370/franklyn">Franklyn</a>, British director George McMorrow's ambitious arthouse fantasy debut. Judging by an opening weekend of &pound;53,000 from 54 screens, audiences have decoded reviews along the lines of &quot;an encouragable talent to watch&quot; as &quot;probably not worth my hard-earned money&quot;.<br /> <br />Other Oscar-nominated movies enjoyed audience spikes at the weekend but without much correlation to their awards hauls. <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/127953/reader">The Reader</a>, which won best actress, went up a handy 13%, bringing its total past &pound;5m; and <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/126910/milk">Milk</a>, which won best actor and original screenplay, was very steady, declining just a few per cent. But <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/127948/doubt">Doubt</a>, which won nothing, increased by 59%, while <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/126605/vicky-cristina-barcelona">Vicky Cristina Barcelona</a>, which won for supporting actress, fell 44%.<br /> <br /></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/mar/03/box-office-oscar-bounce-slumdog">Continue reading...</a>FilmCultureBusinessOscarsDanny BoyleCannes film festivalAwards and prizesClint EastwoodOscars 2009Clive OwenThe InternationalTue, 03 Mar 2009 11:59:54 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/mar/03/box-office-oscar-bounce-slumdogTodd Williamson/Todd Williamson/WireImage.comThe Slumdog Millionaire cast and crew including director Danny Boyle celebrate their Oscars triumph. Photograph: Todd Williamson/WireImage.comTodd Williamson/Todd Williamson/WireImage.comThe Slumdog Millionaire cast and crew including director Danny Boyle celebrate their Oscars triumph. Photograph: Todd Williamson/WireImage.comCharles Gant2009-03-03T11:59:54ZPenélope Cruz and Carmen Miranda are proof Hollywood loves foreigners, so long as they're not the starshttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/27/penelope-cruz-carmen-miranda
Penélope Cruz won the best supporting actress Oscar on Sunday night for a role that lampooned her foreignness. Let's hope she doesn't fall into the trap that claimed Carmen Miranda<p>Hollywood gave the game away on Sunday night. By awarding the Oscars for best actress to Kate Winslet and best supporting actress to Pen&eacute;lope Cruz, the American film elite reaffirmed that while it's fine to have colourful secondary characters talk in a foreign language, leading roles are best left to English speakers, regardless of the character's origin. </p><p>In its 82-year history, the Academy has only rewarded six subtitled performances: Sophia Loren in Two Women (1961), Robert De Niro in The Godfather: Part II (1974), Roberto Benigni in Life Is Beautiful (1997), Benicio del Toro in Traffic (2000), Marion Cotillard in <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/117957/la-vie-en-rose">La Vie en Rose</a> (2007) and now Cruz, who also becomes the sixth Hispanic person to win an Oscar after Jos&eacute; Ferrer, Rita Moreno and Del Toro (born in Puerto Rico), Anthony Quinn (Mexico), plus fellow Spaniard Javier Bardem.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/27/penelope-cruz-carmen-miranda">Continue reading...</a>Penélope CruzMusicalsWorld cinemaFilmOscarsAwards and prizesCultureKate WinsletRobert De NiroBenicio del ToroPedro AlmodóvarWoody AllenJavier BardemOscars 2009Fri, 27 Feb 2009 15:07:55 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/27/penelope-cruz-carmen-mirandaEvan Agosti/AP and CorbisExotic sparkle ... Penélope Cruz and Carmen Miranda. Photograph: Evan Agosti/AP and CorbisEvan Agosti/AP and CorbisPenelope Cruz and Carmen Miranda. Photograph: Evan Agosti/AP and CorbisDavid Parkinson2009-02-27T15:07:55ZUS box office: Is the Oscars effect fading?http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/27/oscars-danny-boyle
As American audiences prepare to be chastely seduced by the Jonas Brothers to a new box-office record, new figures reveal that most of this year's best picture Oscar nominees haven't quite set the cinemagoing public aflutter<p>The US box-office juggernaut will rumble on this weekend as a confluence of events serves to cement the growing belief among Hollywood bigwigs that this year will indeed set a new record. The release of the Jonas Brothers 3-D concert movie will galvanise the formidable tween audience base, while the coronation of <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/interactive/2009/feb/23/oscars-interactive-results#film-5">Slumdog Millionaire</a> at the Oscars will motivate new crowds to get out and see Danny Boyle's phenomenon. A lot of this box-office malarkey is smoke and mirrors, of course, because bloated receipts these days do not necessarily signify a higher volume of ticket sales; for the most part the industry can thank rising ticket prices for that, an annual fixture that masks the fact that ticket sales are on a downward trend and have dropped steadily over the past three years. </p><p>It will be interesting to see what happens in 2009, given that moviegoing still represents the cheapest form of public entertainment there is. Sometime within the next three or four weeks the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), the industry's lobby group that likes to make loud proclamations about the robust state of cinema and crow about minor victories here or there in the losing war on global piracy, will issue fresh data on ticket prices and admissions in 2008. That will give us some idea of how 2009 will pan out, although it won't be a comprehensive picture.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/27/oscars-danny-boyle">Continue reading...</a>OscarsDanny BoyleWalt Disney CompanyFilmCultureOscars 2009Fri, 27 Feb 2009 10:14:42 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/27/oscars-danny-boyle/PRBrotherly love ... still from Jonas Brothers: The 3-D Concert ExperienceJeremy Kay2009-02-27T10:14:42ZFirst Danny Boyle, now Brenda Blethyn - which Brit stars get the most column inches for their home towns?http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/26/danny-boyle-brenda-blethyn
At the Oscars on Sunday, Boyle sang the praises of Radcliffe to the whole world. Today, Blethyn seems to have repeated the trick for Ramsgate. Coincidence?<p>The week immediately following the Oscars is, traditionally, a sleepy one for film news. Hence, perhaps, a story about Brenda Blethyn's overdue library book topping the <a href="http://www.imdb.co.uk/">IMDb</a>'s feed list at lunchtime today.</p><p>Blethyn was opening the refurbished library in her hometown of Ramsgate when she let slip that youthful greed had led her to perpetrate a 50-year defrauding of the local council. Her speech began well. &quot;I used to come to the old library as a child,&quot; she said. &quot;It is wonderful to see the library open with such style and all this space for chatting, which you couldn't do in my day.&quot;</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/26/danny-boyle-brenda-blethyn">Continue reading...</a>Danny BoyleOscarsFilmUK newsCultureOscars 2009Thu, 26 Feb 2009 17:34:48 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/26/danny-boyle-brenda-blethynMurdo Macleod/Guardian and Frazer Harrison/GettyHome is where the heart is ... Brenda Blethyn and Danny Boyle. Photograph: Murdo Macleod and Frazer Harrison/GettyPublic DomainImdb screengrab. Photograph: Public DomainCatherine Shoard2009-02-26T17:34:48ZDoes the César controversy over Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis prove a bias against comedy?http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/25/awards-and-prizes-oscars
The most successful French film ever has been snubbed at the Césars, handed out this Friday. Is it because it's a comedy? And are Oscar voters any more egalitarian?<p>Are dramas better than comedies? This is the question creating a furore in the French film industry ahead of the <a href="http://www.lescesarducinema.com/">C&eacute;sars</a>, the Gallic equivalent of the Academy Awards, tomorrow.<br /> <br />The controversy arose after <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0200702/)">Dany Boon</a>, the writer, director and star of <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/123575/bienvenue-chez-les-ch-tis">Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis</a> (Welcome to the Sticks), a <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2008/mar/04/news.france">hugely successful comedy</a> about a postmaster from southern France horrified at the idea of working up in the &quot;grim&quot; north, announced he would boycott Friday's ceremony. <br /> <br />His beef was that the film only received one nomination, for best original screenplay, even though it sold more than 20m tickets (that's close to a third of France's population of nearly 64m) and is now the most popular movie of all time at the domestic box office. Will Smith has bought the rights for a US remake, while an Italian version is already in the works. <br /> <br />&quot;I am going to watch the ceremony at home,&quot; said a disappointed Boon on French radio after the nominations were announced in January. &quot;[With the C&eacute;sars] we're celebrating cinema but we're not really represented ... I thought we would have more nominations. <br /> <br />&quot;One should acknowledge a film's success and its popularity with audiences,&quot; he continued, adding that if a C&eacute;sar for best comedy was created, he would &quot;gladly come to the ceremony next year to present it&quot;. <br /> <br />His comments have hit a nerve in France, with the head of the C&eacute;sar academy hurriedly announcing that the organisation would discuss the creation of just such an award next year. <br /> <br />But not everyone has been this conciliatory. Gallic acting icon <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EluXfEaODSw">Alain Delon</a> said: &quot;I like Dany Boon's work a lot, but it is crystal clear to me that Vincent Cassel is more worthy of the C&eacute;sar for best actor than Dany Boon is.&quot;<br /> <br />Leon director Luc Besson agreed: &quot;There is no injustice ... [Boon's] film is very cute, I loved it a lot, it was very tender. Now, does it have the best costumes? No. Does it have the best cinematography? No. The best editing? No. There are many places in which the film does not deserve to be nominated.&quot;<br /> <br />Others, however, feel there was more of an issue at stake. Elie Semoun, a popular comedian, said: &quot;There's a certain form of snobbery in the film industry: you're only respected when you do dramas. I once did a very serious drama … which was reviewed in [serious-minded] newspapers such as Le Monde or Lib&eacute;ration. No one went to see the movie, but everyone told me: 'You're a great actor.' No one will say the same to me when [my new comedy] comes out. Even though it's 10 times harder to do.&quot;<br /> <br /><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2002/sep/24/artsfeatures.features">Charlotte Gainsbourg</a> concurred: &quot;I don't understand why comedies are undervalued but it's always been the case ... It's as if commercial successes replace the need for recognition by the profession, as if it was enough, which is totally stupid. In many ways it's harder to make a comedy than to make a drama.&quot;<br /> <br />I tend to agree. Comedies <em>are</em> generally passed over in favour of worthy dramas. Neither of those comic geniuses Buster Keaton nor Charlie Chaplin won competitive Oscars – and <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2009/feb/10/jerry-lewis-film-auteur">Jerry Lewis's Academy Award</a> was for his humanitarian efforts rather than his frequently brilliant film work.</p><p>Last year the Coen brothers' drama, No Country for Old Men, won the Oscar for best picture. This year their comedy, Burn After Reading, was nowhere to be seen in the list of nominations, even though it was stuffed with on-form A-listers. Was it simply a less good film? Or is there an inbuilt bias towards drama – a snootiness, even – among Academy voters?</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/25/awards-and-prizes-oscars">Continue reading...</a>Awards and prizesOscarsFilmCultureFranceOscars 2009EuropeThu, 26 Feb 2009 15:34:42 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/25/awards-and-prizes-oscarsPRNot happy ... Bienvenue chez les Ch'tisGwladys Fouché2009-02-26T15:34:42ZYou review: Gran Torinohttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/23/gran-torino-you-review
The critics agree that Clint Eastwood's final turn as an actor is an elegiac work that makes for a fitting farewell to the great screen icon. So why was it ignored by the Academy?<p>There is a reason Gran Torino hit cinemas here on Friday, just a couple of days before the Oscars. This hearty tale of a racist curmudgeon who finds redemption through friendship with a young immigrant neighbour was originally timed to take advantage of what producers expected to be considerable awards season clout. With Academy favourite Clint Eastwood taking both actor and director roles, producers must have doubted Oscars voters' ability to resist honouring the star of Dirty Harry and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly for his skills in front of the camera one last time.</p><p>In the end, Eastwood's swansong, for it is supposedly his final film as an actor, had to be content with beating out its rivals at the US box office. The film's $129m is ahead of the $122m taken so far by The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which won three Oscars last night, and dwarfs the $88m swindled by Slumdog Millionaire, which won eight.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/23/gran-torino-you-review">Continue reading...</a>FilmCultureClint EastwoodOscarsOscars 2009Tue, 24 Feb 2009 16:18:11 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/23/gran-torino-you-reviewPRSeriously, where's my Oscar? Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino (2008). Photograph: PRPRBee Vang and Clint Eastwood in Gran TorinoBen Child2009-02-24T16:18:11ZUK box office: Half-term shot in the arm for Bolthttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/24/uk-box-office
The Disney/Pixar animated adventure continued to pull in families on school break as Confessions of a Shopaholic maxed its chick-flick credit<p>If 2008 was the year that Hollywood got excited by the female-driven event movie, thanks to <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/125168">Mamma Mia!</a> and <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/124001/sex-and-the-city">Sex and the City</a>, 2009 has been more about the steady commercial dependability of less eventful chick flicks. <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/127955/bride-wars">Bride Wars</a> and <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/126196/he-s-just-not-that-into-you">He's Just Not That Into You</a> both proved solid earners – would the UK market embrace a third entry in the genre before the year is even two months old? </p><p>The question is answered in the loud affirmative by <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/127832/confessions-of-a-shopaholic">Confessions of a Shopaholic</a>, which debuted with &pound;2.85m, including &pound;921,000 in previews from Wednesday and Thursday. Strip out the previews, and the weekend takings are marginally ahead of the recent opening for He's Just Not That Into You. The result will provide a big fillip to Isla Fisher, who has top billing for the first time in a big Hollywood movie. Previously, as one of three female leads in Definitely Maybe, she enjoyed an opening weekend of &pound;698,000. Wedding Crashers, in which Fisher was billed below male stars Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn as well as female co-star Rachel McAdams, opened with &pound;2.18m.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/24/uk-box-office">Continue reading...</a>Clint EastwoodFilmCultureOscarsOscars 2009PixarTue, 24 Feb 2009 13:49:20 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/24/uk-box-officePRGirl power ... Confessions of a ShopaholicCharles Gant2009-02-24T13:49:20ZOscars 2009: How Slumdog Millionaire hit the jackpothttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/24/oscars-danny-boyle
A perfect convergence of factors, not a carefully orchestrated Oscars campaign, propelled Danny Boyle's crowdpleaser to its Academy Awards triumph<p>Simon Beaufoy said it all when he stepped up to address the world's press backstage at the Oscars on Sunday night, moments after winning the adapted screenplay prize for <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/interactive/2009/feb/23/oscars-interactive-results#film-5">Slumdog Millionaire</a>. &quot;The financial markets are crashing around the world and a film comes out which is ostensibly about being a millionaire,&quot; Beaufoy said. &quot;Actually … it's a film that says there are more important things than money: love, faith, and family. And that struck a chord with people, I think; right now, in an era where we suddenly turn around and go, 'Wait a minute, this money thing – it's been shown to be a real false idol.' And so the timing of when this film came out had a tremendous impact.&quot;</p><p>For the first time in many years, seasoned awards watchers agree that a movie came along that did things its own way. Whereas previous best picture winners such as No Country for Old Men and The Departed advanced towards the ultimate prize through a carefully orchestrated campaign that took in the requisite staging posts along the way – the Academy and Guild screenings, onstage Q&amp;As and publicity tours, to name a few – Slumdog Millionaire rode to victory on the strength of its irrepressible spirit. </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/24/oscars-danny-boyle">Continue reading...</a>Slumdog MillionaireOscarsDanny BoyleToronto film festivalTelluride film festivalCannes film festivalAwards and prizesFilmCultureOscars 2009Tue, 24 Feb 2009 10:38:59 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/24/oscars-danny-boyleTodd Williamson/Todd Williamson/WireImage.comHitting gold ... the Slumdog Millionaire cast and crew celebrate their Oscars triumph. Photograph: Todd Williamson/WireImage.comJeremy Kay2009-02-24T10:38:59ZOscars 2009: Peter Bradshaw on why Slumdog Millionaire richly deserves its hoard of Academy Awardshttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/23/oscars-danny-boyle
The time has come for those, like me, who treated it with friendly scepticism to wake up to why it is such a compelling winner<p><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/interactive/2009/feb/23/oscars-interactive-results#film-5">Slumdog Millionaire</a> has won one of those extraordinary Oscar-night landslides: a film whose aura of success and feelgood word-of-mouth manages to replicate itself virally inside the heart and mind of every Academy Award voter. </p><p>It was one of the biggest British victory since Chariots of Fire and once again, the spirit of Colin Welland returned to gloat at the ceremony. The British always seem to be coming at the Oscars, but last night they really did arrive in force with a pumped-up, hyperactive, hyperreal melodrama set in south Asia with no stars other than a global TV franchise which everyone thought was past its sell-by date. </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/23/oscars-danny-boyle">Continue reading...</a>OscarsDanny BoyleSean PennMickey RourkeKate WinsletHeath LedgerOscars 2009Mon, 23 Feb 2009 08:15:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/23/oscars-danny-boyleMark J Terrill/APArrived ... the cast and crew of Slumdog Millionaire celebrate their best film Oscar at the 2009 Academy Awards. Photograph: Mark J Terrill/APPeter Bradshaw2009-02-23T08:15:00ZOscars 2009: Slumdog's victory points to much bigger things for Danny Boylehttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/23/danny-boyle-hugh-jackman
The revamped format of the show worked a treat and Hugh Jackman carried off hosting duties with aplomb. And the British sweep by Slumdog Millionaire points to a shift in power away from Hollywood<p>The Academy had a grand night for a change, and many people are to be congratulated. The condensed format of the best song nominees, and the production numbers, was a mercy. Hugh Jackman carried off the very tricky role of host with old-fashioned style and cool aplomb – I suspect he has the job for the next few years, especially if he can bring the same air of amateur musical show to further proceedings. </p><p>Above all, the idea of having five past winners introduce the nominees in the four acting categories was a stroke of genius. It brought class and comradeship to the sometimes tacky contest, and it meant that every nominee was treated with respect and affection. There are still too many prizes given on the big night; some of the short subjects could easily give way to a more gracious in memoriam section – this year the dead made a rich but poignant list, and we might have seen more of Cyd Charisse, Paul Newman, Anthony Minghella, Sydney Pollack and so on. </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/23/danny-boyle-hugh-jackman">Continue reading...</a>Slumdog MillionaireOscarsDanny BoyleHugh JackmanSean PennMickey RourkePaul NewmanAnthony MinghellaSydney PollackFilmCultureOscars 2009Mon, 23 Feb 2009 07:38:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/23/danny-boyle-hugh-jackmanMark J Terrill/APThe host with the most ... Hugh Jackman performs with Anne Hathaway in the opening number for the 2009 Oscars. Photograph: Mark J Terrill/APDavid Thomson2009-02-23T07:38:00ZOscars 2009: live blog of the 81st Academy Awardshttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/22/oscars-2009-live-minute-by-minute-blog
Welcome to our live blog of Oscars 2009 – a real night to remember for British talent as Danny Boyle's <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/interactive/2009/feb/23/oscars-interactive-results#film-5">Slumdog Millionaire</a> swept the boards and Kate Winslet ended her Oscar duck<br /><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2011/feb/27/oscars-2011-live-coverage-academy-awards">Oscars 2011: live coverage of the 83rd Academy Awards</a><p>.</p><p><strong>11.12pm:</strong> Code amber at the 81st annual Academy Awards. Welcome, welcome one and all: to the liggers behind the cordons, the dignitaries in their limos and to the hoi-polloi like us, camped out in front of the TV set. The carpet is laid, the lamps are lit and the sharpshooters have taken up their positions on the rooftops overlooking the Kodak theatre (presumably just a cautionary measure, in case Mickey Rourke gets too lary). </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/22/oscars-2009-live-minute-by-minute-blog">Continue reading...</a>OscarsFilmCultureBaftasGolden GlobesKate WinsletHeath LedgerMickey RourkeSean PennGus van SantPenélope CruzRussell CroweWoody AllenBaz LuhrmannHugh JackmanBen StillerJoaquin PhoenixDaniel CraigDavid FincherDanny BoyleMeryl StreepAngelina JolieBrad PittAnthony MinghellaJosh BrolinRon HowardFrank LangellaStephen DaldrySam MendesWerner HerzogOscars 2009Sun, 22 Feb 2009 23:12:23 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/22/oscars-2009-live-minute-by-minute-blogGabriel Bouys/AFP/Getty ImagesSlumdog's day ... cast and crew of Slumdog Millionaire with the Oscar for best film. Photograph: Gabriel Bouys/AFP/Getty ImagesChris Carlson/APDanny Boyle at the 2009 Oscars. Photograph: Chris Carlson/APXan Brooks2009-02-22T23:12:23ZLisa Marks on Anne Hathaway's Oscar chanceshttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/19/oscars-anne-hathaway
One dumb film scuppered Eddie Murphy's chances of an Oscar. Anne Hathaway had better hope her fluffy rom-com doesn't do the same for her …<p>Three years ago, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2006/dec/10/comedy.usa">Eddie Murphy</a> experienced something of a career renaissance with his performance as tortured singer Jimmy Early in <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/116878/dreamgirls">Dreamgirls</a>. Nominated for a best supporting actor Oscar, Murphy was considered a hot favourite in a strong category that saw him rub shoulders with Alan Arkin, Mark Wahlberg, Djimon Hounsou and Jackie Earle Haley.</p><p>That was until early 2007, just around the time of year when voters were casting their ballots – and along came <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/117418/norbit">Norbit</a> (tagline: &quot;Have you ever made a really big mistake?&quot;). Norbit, in case you didn't catch it, was a broad romantic comedy in which Murphy played the title character, a nerdy, bespectacled doormat, as well as his morbidly obese girlfriend, Rasputa, and a Chinese restaurateur by the name of Mr Wong. Cut to Murphy losing out to <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/114024/little-miss-sunshine">Little Miss Sunshine</a>'s Alan Arkin for the Academy Award, and reportedly storming out of the party in high dudgeon.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/19/oscars-anne-hathaway">Continue reading...</a>Anne HathawayOscarsFilmEddie MurphyMeryl StreepJonathan DemmeAwards and prizesGolden GlobesCultureOscars 2009Thu, 19 Feb 2009 17:39:52 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/19/oscars-anne-hathawaySony/Everett/RexGritty reinvention … Anne Hathaway in Rachel Getting Married. Photograph: Sony/Everett/RexSony/Everett/RexAnne Hathaway in Rachel Getting Married. Photograph: Sony/Everett/RexLisa Marks2009-02-19T17:39:52ZOscars: the best actors never to have been nominatedhttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/19/best-actors-never-nominated-for-oscars
The list of actors, male and female, shamefully neglected by the Academy Awards could fill a room. Here's my top 10 – who's on yours?<p>It is, no question, shameful that screen legends such as Cary Grant and Greta Garbo, Peter O'Toole and Lauren Bacall have <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/interactive/2009/feb/18/oscars-2009-interactive">never won a competitive Oscar</a>. But they're trophy magnets compared with the array of great actors who, over the years, were never nominated at all; something even Sylvester Stallone, Oprah and Roberto Benigni all managed (Benigni - pinch yourself - actually won). Here's a tribute to the overlooked and the ignored, suggestions as to why they kept missing the cut and the role(s) that should have bagged them a place on the prestigious final five - at the very least. </p><p><strong>Joseph Cotten – Shadow of a Doubt (1943); The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)</strong></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/19/best-actors-never-nominated-for-oscars">Continue reading...</a>OscarsFilmCultureOscars 2009Thu, 19 Feb 2009 13:44:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/19/best-actors-never-nominated-for-oscarsSnap/Rex FeaturesBoxed out ... Sylvester Stallone received an Oscar for Rocky, so why can't Gary Oldman, seen here in The Contender, get one? Photograph: Snap/Rex FeaturesLeigh Singer2009-02-19T13:44:00ZOscars countdown: There's still time to give us your predictionshttp://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/feb/17/oscars-predictions-2009
Tell us who will triumph in the Kate v Meryl smackdown<p>There's just 130 hours, 25 minutes left till the 81st Academy Awards kick off. And, more importantly, that means there's just 130 hours, 25 minutes left to take part in our <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/interactive/2009/feb/03/oscars-predictions">interactive Oscars predictor</a>. </p><p>In order to be in with a chance of winning a guardian.co.uk/film special Oscar for the most accurate prediction, you will need to leave your email address in the relevant box. If necessary, do repost your prediction. Need guidance? <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/oscars">Our Oscars homepage</a> is almost certainly your best port of call. Need some perspective? <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2009/feb/04/oscars-predictions">We did Wordles of the results after 24 hours</a>.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/feb/17/oscars-predictions-2009">Continue reading...</a>OscarsFilmCultureAwards and prizesOscars 2009Tue, 17 Feb 2009 14:35:16 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/feb/17/oscars-predictions-2009Vince Bucci/GettyGuardian Staff2009-02-17T14:35:16ZOscar watch: And the award for the weirdest Oscar presentation speech goes to ...http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/13/oscar-presentation-speech
We all know about embarrassing Academy Award acceptance speeches. But as Oscar night looms up this Sunday, let's remember a tradition which connoisseurs treasure even more<p>This is the Oscar presentation speech, a task which is often assigned to a weirdly matched pair of stars, often in the newsreader coupling of older man and younger woman. </p><p>But with no obvious rapport, minimal rehearsal time, and with each presenter apparently yearning to prefigure their awards with their very own Hallmark-greeting-style thoughts on the nature of cinematic art, these presentations can be stilted and bizarre. </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/13/oscar-presentation-speech">Continue reading...</a>FilmCultureOscarsAwards and prizesOscars 2009Mon, 16 Feb 2009 11:59:01 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/13/oscar-presentation-speechScreengrabStanding in awe ... Robert Mitchum and Sigourney Weaver presenting the Best Supporting Actress award in 1983ScreengrabPeter Bradshaw2009-02-16T11:59:01ZBetween the lines: David Cox on Slumdog Millionairehttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/12/slumdog-millionare-oscars
Danny Boyle's dazzling Oscar shoo-in is a masterpiece of manipulation and exploitation<p>Next stop, the Oscars. Already weighed down by <a href="http://www.firstshowing.net/2009/01/11/2009-golden-globe-winners-slumdog-millionaire-triumphs/">Golden Globes</a> and <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/feb/08/bafta-awards-2009-winners">Bafta masks</a>, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/126911/slumdog-millionaire">Slumdog Millionaire</a> seems unstoppably <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2009/feb/09/why-slumdog-millionaire-will-win-the-oscar">destined</a> to snare <a href="http://www.oscar.com/nominees/index?pn=nominees#BestPictureNominationCategory">Best Picture</a> on Sunday. It is written. </p><p>Perhaps even more striking than the film's gong-gluttony has been its extraordinary run at the box office. Weekend after weekend it has trampled over the new releases on which <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/series/betweenthelines">Between the Lines</a> normally concentrates, and set <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/4301655/Slumdog-Millionaire-sets-British-box-office-record.html">new records</a> not just in the UK but across <a href="http://www.livemint.com/2009/01/19233639/Slumdog-Millionaire-becomes-th.html">the world</a>.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/12/slumdog-millionare-oscars">Continue reading...</a>Slumdog MillionaireFilmDanny BoyleOscarsBaftasAwards and prizesOscars 2009Mon, 16 Feb 2009 08:14:46 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/12/slumdog-millionare-oscarsPRA boost to Mumbai's slum tourist industry … Slumdog MillionairePRScene from Slumdog MillionaireDavid Cox2009-02-16T08:14:46ZThe view: The craftsman comethhttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/13/craftsmanlike-films-revolutionary-road-sam-mendes
You know you're in trouble when a film is marketed as 'craftsmanlike', as if impeccable set design and costumes could make up for overbearing artifice<p>&quot;Craftsmanlike.&quot; Can there be a single word in the film critics' vocabulary more certain to dampen the passions? Yet it's one that at this point in the year seems to acquire a frightening allure, lingering around the Oscars and the attendant hoo-ha because the kind of film that draws award season heat is often also the most associated with this dread adjective. </p><p>In saying this, I owe a hefty doff of the cap to Bright Lights, whose Erich Kuersten earlier this week took up arms against the ugliest of C words in a <a href="http://brightlightsfilm.blogspot.com/2009/02/deliver-us-from-craftsmanship.html">fine post with which I can only concur</a>. It was, frankly, just nice to find someone else who felt the same way. Because, of course, what the term seems to encompass is all perfectly admirable. A commitment to the age-old disciplines of film-making, a sober approach to narrative, precise editing, handsome photography, tonal coherence – none of them bad things. The trouble starts when they may as well come with giant hot-pink arrows superimposed on screen to point them out. </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/13/craftsmanlike-films-revolutionary-road-sam-mendes">Continue reading...</a>FilmCultureSam MendesClint EastwoodPeriod and historicalDavid FincherOscarsOscars 2009Fri, 13 Feb 2009 13:52:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/13/craftsmanlike-films-revolutionary-road-sam-mendesPRNot a hair out of place ... scene from Revolutionary RoadDanny Leigh2009-02-13T13:52:00ZOscar watch: Jerry Lewis is long overdue an Academy Awardhttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/10/jerry-lewis-film-auteur
On 22 February, Jerry Lewis is to receive a special Oscar for his charitable work. It's a pity that he's yet to receive one for his contribution to cinema<p>Last year on this site, Xan Brooks started a trivia game of incongruous <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2008/dec/18/rowan-williams-muppet-christmas-carol">double bills inspired by the Archbishop of Canterbury's two favourite films</a>, Andrei Rublev and The Muppet Christmas Carol. May I suggest another game: pairings of films that seem mismatched initially but actually have much in common? For example Jerry Lewis's The Ladies' Man (1961) and Jean-Luc Godard's Tout Va Bien (1972). <br /> <br />Tout Va Bien, about striking factory workers holding their bosses hostage, has a composite set influenced by Lewis's The Ladies Man. In both films, the characters are locked in a confined locus which, as the critic Chris Fujiwara suggests, writing on the Lewis picture, &quot;lets us know explicitly that this is a fantasy space, a movie set, a space of transformation.&quot; </p><p>Was Godard so off-target when he made his hyperbolic remark in 1967 that &quot;Lewis is the only one in Hollywood doing something different – the only one who's making courageous films. He's been able to do it because of his personal genius&quot;? Certainly, Lewis's films were radical departures from the other comedies of the day, especially in their free-form episodic structure, surrealist sensibility and metafilmic devices.<br /> <br />Here's another pairing. Jerry Lewis's The Nutty Professor (1963) with Bernardo Bertolucci's Partner (1968). In The Nutty Professor, a shy, nerdish professor, who has no luck with women, creates a potion that transforms him into Buddy Love, a cool dude, attractive to women. (Is it Jerry Lewis becoming Dean Martin or revealing his true persona?) Partner involves a confused and shy young man who creates a more confident double. Both stories were updated versions of 19th century novels, the former based on Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, the latter on Dostoevsky's The Double. (One could also recall that Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis made a film called Pardners in 1956, and that the alter ego is prominent in Lewis's oeuvre as well as in some of Bertolucci's films.) There is little doubt in my mind that the two Lewis movies are superior to the Bertolucci and Godard ones. </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/10/jerry-lewis-film-auteur">Continue reading...</a>OscarsComedyFilmCultureOscars 2009Jerry LewisWed, 11 Feb 2009 17:38:04 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/10/jerry-lewis-film-auteurRonald Grant ArchiveGenius ... Jerry Lewis in Who's Minding the Store? Photograph: Ronald Grant ArchiveRonald Bergan2009-02-11T17:38:04ZBenjamin Button takes Slumdog Millionaire down a peghttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/10/danny-boyle-bradpitt
After four weeks at the top of the UK box-office chart, Danny Boyle's Oscar frontrunner has finally lost its perch to David Fincher's epic and the ensemble comedy He's Just Not That Into You<p><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/126911/slumdog-millionaire">Slumdog Millionaire</a> may have swept the Baftas on Sunday, but it has finally ceded the top spot at the UK box office, knocked off in its fifth week of release by the one-two punch of <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/127053/curious-case-of-benjamin-button">The Curious Case of Benjamin Button</a> and <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/126196/he-s-just-not-that-into-you">He's Just Not That Into You</a>. Danny Boyle's Mumbai-set crime-thriller-romance slipped to third place, dipping 33% from the previous weekend, with a total to date of &pound;16.9m. </p><p>The success of Benjamin Button – &pound;2.21m from 425 sites – represents a big improvement on the results achieved by the last awards contenders from star Brad Pitt and director David Fincher. Pitt's <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/120871/assassination-of-jesse-james-by-the-coward-robert-ford">The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford</a> stumbled in the US, and consequently was given a limited, 61-screen release in the UK, opening on &pound;181,000. Fincher's <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/118401/zodiac">Zodiac</a> debuted with &pound;818,000 from 227 cinemas. Button's figure is all the more impressive given that its hefty 166min length reduces the number of show times per day. The figure returns Fincher to the commercial levels of 2002's <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/91874/panic-room">Panic Room</a> (which opened on &pound;2.02m), and is also comparable to the debut of Pitt's <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/125563/burn-after-reading">Burn After Reading</a> (&pound;2.04m). However, Button's backers Warner Bros will need sustained success – ideally an eight-figure UK total – given the film's production budget of $150m.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/10/danny-boyle-bradpitt">Continue reading...</a>Slumdog MillionaireDanny BoyleBrad PittDavid FincherWalt Disney CompanyWoody AllenKate WinsletBaftasOscarsFilmCultureOscars 2009Tue, 10 Feb 2009 12:29:50 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/feb/10/danny-boyle-bradpittPRSitting pretty ... scene from He's Just Not That Into You, which powered to the No 2 spotCharles Gant2009-02-10T12:29:50Z